For nutritional purposes, a diet rich in protein is increasingly considered to be important. Confectioneries, especially candy, heretofore, have not been widely used in fulfilling this nutritional requirement. While products such as confectioneries which are relatively rich in protein, e.g., albumin, have been produced for the population of economically depressed countries to help control starvation, such as countries in the Near East and the Far East, these confectioneries have not been successful since they have been unsatisfactory from an organoleptic point of view. Thus the prior products have had such an unpleasant consistency and flavor during chewing that they were not generally accepted and used by these people. Additionally, these prior products suffer from the disadvantage that they cannot be produced with fast-running, cutting and winding machines as customarily now used in the confectionery industry. Compounds and compositions which are rich in protein, e.g., albumin, are extremely tough when the proteins (e.g. albumin) are fully dissolved. Accordingly, the compounds and composition have been, primarily, processed into food products by forming a paste thereof. The paste, which is moist and crumbly, and may be molded, e.g., into bars, and then cut and dried on the surface either prior to or after packaging. The dried products, however, have a rubber-like and tough texture during chewing and with continued chewing the protein (e.g. albumin) components, begin to swell and produce an unpleasant slimy consistency, especially in the case of higher protein, e.g. albumin contents. These unpleasant organoleptic properties and taste have, thus, prevented the wide acceptance of confectioneries with a high protein content.
German Pat. No. 130,910 discloses an improved confectionery, which is rich in protein, based on the protein being in the form of a gel, especially as a milk protein gel (along with of course water). However, this confectionery is still unsatisfactory.